The Mirror and the Threshold: Female Consciousness and the Search for Wholeness in Oleander Girl

Name of Author : Dr.P.Parthiban

Abstract: Chitra Banerjee Divakarunis Oleander Girl (2013) traces a young womans journey through displacement, loss, and self discovery, illuminating the psychic negotiations that shape female identity. Within the framework of feminist psychoanalysis, the novel reveals how women internalise and then resist patriarchal definitions of selfhood. The mirror and the threshold serve as recurring metaphors for introspection and transformation, allowing the protagonist, Korobi, to encounter the divided layers of her consciousness. The story dramatises the interplay between repression and revelation, mirroring the Freudian model of the unconscious while invoking a distinctly feminine search for psychic unity. By re envisioning desire and identity beyond patriarchal control, Divakarunis narrative aligns with feminist psychoanalytic thought that emphasises relational subjectivity and maternal memory. The novel suggests that selfhood for women is not found in conformity but in confronting inner fractures. The journey from enclosure to awareness becomes an inward pilgrimage that reclaims emotional and intellectual wholeness. Through Korobis evolution, Oleander Girl transforms the act of looking inward into a form of liberation rooted in the feminine unconscious.

Keywords : Feminist Psychoanalysis; Female Consciousness; Repression; Identity; Mirror; Threshold; Selfhood; Patriarchy; Wholeness

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